Report from Singapore 6

Hey folks,

This is going to be the last update from the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. The last days of the Games have been pretty busy, so please understand why I did not update this blog more often.

With Christine taking bronze both in the Judo individual and the medley event, Viki paddling to bronze and Lara winning gold in sailing, our team accumulated a total of 6 medals. As you can imagine, the atmosphere with Team Austria at the Youth Olympic Village was amazing! However, as all good things come to an end, it was time to leave for us shortly afterward. Since the whole situation was kind of overwhelming, I can just point out a few things that made the Games such an incredible experience:

• The team spirit within Team Austria, where all the athletes and coaches supported each other and formed friendships to last.
• The warmhearted and welcoming people in Singapore, inviting us to their marvelous city and hosting excellent games.
• The multicultural atmosphere at the Youth Olympic Village, where 205 nations could live next to each other without any problem.
• The activities of the culture and education program, trying to help athletes to grow and advance in their development
• The performances of the athletes with every single one giving his best
• The Cook Islands all smiles and just having fun, despite being crushed by the French
• The Young Ambassadors, whose presence and inspiration I already miss
• The chance of being part in something great

However, there is not much time to cherish my nostalgia. The next Games are only 16 months away and I somehow have the feeling that I will find a way or two to occupy myself until then...

So long,
Florian

Report from Singapore 5

Hey folks,

Another rare update from Singapore. Although I'd love to update this blog more frequently, I just find it so hard to find the time to. A day just passes so quickly when you are watching competitions, organizing CEP activities, attend meetings, go eating, sleep, take a shower and so on. Plus, the fact that I have never been the most reliable guy in the blog-o-sphere does not make this task any easier. Anyways, what have we been up to recently? Well, a lot I'd say:

-) We have a Gold medal! After finishing 3rd in the singles, Luis Knabl claimed victory in the Mixed team relay event. Entering as the last contender, he managed to beat Olympic Champion Aaron Barclay from New Zealand in the final run, which is said to be his weakest discipline. It might be hard to understand, but I really do have the impression that Luis' gold medal boosted the already great team spirit even more. Because although it is his (and his colleagues') personal achievement, everybody is deeply enjoying it, because a group member is successful.

-) Speaking of great team spirit: As you can probably imagine, the athletes are really busy here in Singapore: They have long journeys to the venues, practice hard, need to rest, attend CEP activities and of course compete. So it is really touching to see that 16 (i.e. half of our delegation!) made their way to the Bishan Sports Hall to see our youngest team member, Elisa, compete in the women's all-around final. And Elisa thanked us by increasing her personal best by another .5 points!

-) Our athletes are actively engaging in the CEP. Since it's my duty to promote it, I am really happy to see them taking the initiative.

-) A last entry, which has nothing to do with our delegation, but illustrates quite well what the Olympics are about: Today, I went to the International Convention Center to see France playing the Cook Islands. As I already wrote on Facebook, this is not David vs. Goliath, but rather the Napoleonic Army against a tree. Without any surprise, the French easily swept the Cook Islands 58 to 4. However, what is remarkable that instead of shouting at each other or losing their spirits (what losing teams frequently do), the underdogs had fun. Great fun! They were doing some tricks they've learned, interacted with the audience and never gave up trying. And after the Game was over, they had a blast in the mixed interview zone. Of course nobody likes to lose. However, if you can take a bad defeat and still enjoy the game to the max, then you have understood what it is all about.

All the best from Singapore and please check out our Facebook group!
Best
Flo

Report from Singapore 4

Hey folks!

It is now the third day of the Games and our team has already written history: Luis Knabl won bronze in the Triathlon competition and thus became the first ever Austrian to win a Youth Olympic medal. However, what is even more enjoyable than Luis' medal is that it revealed the great team spirit our delegation has going on. For instance, a group of ten went to his big race, although we had to get up at 6 in the morning for it and people are always busy with practice and so on. It is really very satisfying to see how all those athletes coming from different sporting backgrounds have been transformed into a unit in what was only a matter of days (if not hours).

Apart from Luis' historic achievements, also the other athletes did quite well: Martina got fifth in women's wrestling, despite her injury. Kira and Ivona qualified for the A-finals today and are now going for a medal. Lara became fifth in her first race and won the second one and is now second overall. Last but not least, Elisa landed a big sensation by qualifying for the women's all-around gymnastics, a deed that has never been achieved in Austrian gymnastics history.

Also off the track, lots of great stuff is going on: Our athletes are heavily engaged in the CEP program, we attended a party thrown by Innsbruck 2012 in downtown Singapore the other day (Tyroler Knödel!!) and we got a marvellous picture presented to us by the pupils who designed the Austria booth in the World Culture Village. So all in all: Good times!

At this point, I would like to thank all our Facebook fans, who are really amazing in the way they support our athletes. So thank you and keep it up! Please also check out the page for pictures of our time here in Singapore.

So long,
Flo

Report from Singapore 3

Hey folks!

Yesterday, the first ever Youth Olympic Games were declared open by what was probably the best event I have ever experienced. Although I my undergraduate degree included several lectures on event management, it's only in my wildest dreams that I would have thought of an event like this.

The Opening Ceremony took place on a floating stage in Marina Bay, right in the heart of Singapore. Already at the gathering point, the atmosphere was fabulous. All the different countries were singing their local tunes (of course, we were chanting "Immer wieder, immer wieder, immer wieder Österreich"), exchanged pins and took photos with each other.

After all the 204 delegations had arrived, it was time to march towards the stadium. We all caught a very good glimpse at the Singapore skyline, before it was showtime. We entered the stadium where 27,000 people enthusiastically welcomed us to Singapore. I was definitely not the only one to have goose bumps!

And then we took our seats and experienced one of the best Opening Ceremonies in the history of the Olympic Games. There was music, dancers, exotic costumes, acrobats, pyrotechnic, laser, visual effects...to cut a long story short: EVERYTHING! Sometimes it was really hard to focus, because there was so much going on: On stage, in the ranks, on the water, everywhere. Speaking of the stage: Besides the "normal" stage, they also had a stage on the water and a 30 meter high backdrop.

At about 10PM, the climax was approaching. First, Ng Ser Miang, chairman of SYOGOC, welcomed everybody to the beautiful city of Singapore and wished them a great experience. Then, IOC president Jacques Rogge highlighted his vision of the Games: To not only make winners, but champions, who abide to the Olympic Values of friendship, excellence and respect.
And then the moment everybody has been waiting for arrived: S.R. Nathan, president of the Republic of Singapore, declared 1. Youth Olympic Games open.

Unfortunately, I can't give you any pictures of the ceremony, however, I kindly invite you to watch this gallery on Flickr. I believe it gives you a very good impression of what a great experience we had!!

Let the Games begin!

Report from Singapore 2

Hey folks!

Next update from sunny Singapore! We've been here now for four days and so far, it's been going great. The atmosphere is really inspiring and although I've been to quite a few events, hardly any of these were organized as perfectly as this one.

So what have we been up to in those four days? Maybe you know the feeling when you move to a different place: The first few days, you feel kind of lost, because you don't know the most simple things: Where is the supermarket? Where can I do my laundry? Where is the bus stop? The same is true with us (although unfortunately we are only moving here for two weeks). Basically, we just got accustomed with the surrounding, tried to find our way to the dining hall and the diverse training facilities and just get into the Games mindset. Oh, and of course we also started to neatly decorating our two floors, as you can see in the picture.

Yesterday, the village was officially opened with, in the truest sense of the word, a big bang. When we were in Singapore in March for the Young Ambassador seminar, we had a drum workshop. (Btw: The same drumming session is a part of the CEP and will be open for athletes!) . And yesterday, we got the YA and CEP champs back together to act as the opening act for the Village's opening ceremony.

After spending the day getting back into the groove (1-2-3-BANANA!), we hit the stage at half past eight. And I tell you what: Going out on this stage, where several hundred people were watching the show, really gave us chills, despite outside temperatures of 30° C. Our performance was really nice and people seemed to enjoy it very much.Some when in the show, I got really carried away and I banged my drum so hard that my hand started to bleed. It was just a small bruise, however, now I can genuinely say that I am spending blood and sweat on the Games (I think I'll skip the tears on this one).

Today, the first ever Youth Olympic Games will be officially opened and we are all really excited what the Opening Ceremony is going to be like. I went by the stage the other day while running some errands in the city and it's just massive. I have a very good feeling that this is going to be a very special night. So make sure to follow it LIVE via the web stream you can access HERE (Channel 1).

As always, you can also check out our official Facebook fanpage, where we always love to receive your comments.

So long,
Florian

Picture 2, 3 © Callum Ng, Pictrure 4 © Erin Kennedy

Report from Singapore 1

Hey folks!

Welcome to the first update to this blog from sunny Singapore! The Austrian delegation, comprising of 16 athletes, their coaches, a physio therapist and the Young Ambassador arrived at Changi Airport on time at 4pm yesterday. Everything was really well organized, so from the airport, we went straight to the Youth Olympic Village (YOV). By the way: The have an own lane for YOG buses during games time - how cool is that? (Well, I guess it's only cool when you are the one on the bus)

At the YOV, we had our accreditation (the plastic tags everybody wears around his/her neck, indicating where you should and should not go) validated and also received the first highlight of the Games: Our very own Digital Concierge, loaded onto a Samsung Smartphone. With those nifty gadgets, we can update you in real time from the Games via Facebook and other platforms. I think that's really a cool thing, since there are so many funny, extraordinary and special stories you want to share with people throughout the day, however, it just takes too long until you reach the next computer.

We also had two meals at the huge (i.e. comfortably fitting 1,600 people) dining hall. Depending on who you ask, the food is "very good" (I tend to support this fraction) or "absolutely awful". However, I really enjoyed having a nice chicken curry for breakfast :). Oh, and sitting on the same table with people from Aruba, the Vanuatu and the Bahamas (I'm very impressed if you can find those on a map within 5 seconds) for lunch just gives you a very good impression what the atmosphere here is like: Colorful, friendly, international.

Speaking of nations: We spent this morning with appropriately decorating our two floors. Please refer to our Facebook group "Youth Olympic Team Austria" for the pictures. NB: Since there are so many information channels, I will solely upload any picture or video material on Facebook, so please check there, thanks.

That's all for the moment from Team Austria in Singapore. We are always happy to hear your feedback and would like to thank you for supporting us!

Best

Between the switch of the light...

Hey folks!

...and the start of the dream - that's the chorus of one of my favorite songs. Right now, sitting in my bed, going over some last itinerary details before leaving for Singapore tomorrow evening, I feel exactly like this.

Some when in the last week, for the first time I got a little nervous because of the Youth Olympic Games. Up to this point, I thought that I have seen a bit and been around quite a bit, so feeling nervous for a sports event was definitely nothing to consider. However, now with constant reports and bulletins coming from Singapore, for the first time I grasp the magnitude of this project. I mean, if you take even the most basic facts, they got something like this:

I will be representing my country at the first new Olympic event since 1924, working with 16 of the most promising Austrian athletes. Period. So yeah, I hope you can somehow understand why I get some goosebumps thinking about it.

So here we are. Seven months have passed since I was named "Young Ambassador", five months since I have been to Singapore to be prepared to the challenge ahead. I've been waiting long enough for this moment, I've been working hard to live up to my role as a Young Ambassador and now it is time for the Games to start. The light's been switched of - so let the dream begin.